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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115885">Let's Stay Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Guns N' Roses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, just generally not recommended behaviour</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:46:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,661</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24115885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a particularly crappy few weeks, Y/N manages to lose both her job and apartment. She's generally known as a bit of a mess, but still struggles to accept help - even when it's being offered by the lovely Izzy.</p><p>OR a couple of unfortunate events result in Izzy's pal (with occasional benefits) becoming Izzy's gal</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Izzy Stradlin/Original Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I rapped on the metal door quickly and stretched out a yawn. I was exhausted. Last night’s party had carried on into this morning, and then this afternoon, (which seemed to be happening a lot lately) and I’d gone straight from there to work so I was yet to get some sleep. I propped myself up against the wall and waited for somebody to answer, fighting to keep my eyes open.</p><p>The door swung open and I jumped up, blinking, to see Angus sticking his head out enthusiastically.</p><p>“Hey Y/N! Long time no see! I’ll go grab him for you.”</p><p>The door clanged shut just as quickly as it had opened, and I rubbed my forehead, yawning lazily again. There was a muffled yell inside, before the door opened and Izzy sauntered out.</p><p>He grinned when he saw me. His hands were busy digging around in the pocket of his apron.</p><p>“Hey man, how’s it goin’?” His hand finally emerged with a joint and he popped it between his lips. “Thought you had work today?” He mumbled.</p><p>I made a face and tossed him a pack of matches. “Just got canned.”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows. “No fuckin’ way man!” He sparked up and blew out a long stream of smoke, the sunlight making him squint as he passed them back to me. “That sucks. What happened?”</p><p>I stretched tiredly and accepted the joint, taking a drag and holding it for a second. My head was aching something awful.</p><p>I exhaled slowly. “Apparently, I was lucky enough to find the only club in fuckin’ LA that actually <em>minds</em> it’s employees getting high in the back room.”</p><p>He burst out laughing, “Right, real bad luck. Totally outta your control.”</p><p>I grinned and sidled over to lean against the wall next to him, taking another quick drag before passing it back. There was always something strangely comforting about talking to Izzy – even when he was teasing me.</p><p>“Well come on, it’s not like I was doin’ it on the fuckin’ bar.”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s true. You already tried that at Angelica’s, didn’t work out too good for you did it?” He glanced at me with a sly smirk on his stupid face.</p><p>I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips together, trying and failing to look annoyed.</p><p>“You are such a prick, Izzy.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” He chuckled, blowing smoke out again.</p><p>“I come here for a bit of reassurance, maybe a little pat on the arm, <em>it’s all gonna be alright Y/N, don’t worry Y/N!</em>” I grumbled jokingly, a smile still plastered to my face, “What do I get as soon as I arrive<em>? Oh, here Y/N, here is a list of all the other jobs you’ve lost! What, sympathy? Never heard of it.</em>”</p><p>He laughed and pulled me towards him with an arm around my shoulders. “Aw honey, you want me give you some sympathy?”</p><p>I grinned and shoved him away. “I’m upset, okay!”</p><p>“Yeah, you look pretty distressed.”</p><p>“Yeah, ‘cause I am!”</p><p>He snickered for a second, before stepping closer again and frowning slightly.</p><p>“You kinda look like shit, actually.”</p><p>I hummed and let my head fall back against the wall with a thud, closing my eyes gently. “Coming down from last night.”</p><p>I heard him step towards me again so, dozily, I opened my eyes. “My break’s over. I gotta go back to work, you know, to my <em>job</em>.” He murmured. I rolled my eyes and punched his shoulder. He just smirked at me, took one last quick drag of the joint and held it up to me. “You can finish that, if you’re not too upset.” I narrowed my eyes at him playfully and took it.</p><p>“Thanks, dickhead.” I grumbled.</p><p>He laughed and turned back towards the door, before stopping. “Hey, what did you come by for anyway?”</p><p>I frowned for a second before my brain kicked back into action. “Oh right, yeah. D’you mind if I sleep at yours for a couple hours?”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows. “Now?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah if that’s alright.”</p><p>He frowned slightly but was already rooting around in his jean pockets. “Sure, that’s fine.” He fished out a set of keys and threw them to me.</p><p>Catching them, I pushed myself away from the wall and tried to think of a fast excuse. “Can’t be bothered walking all the way back to mine.”</p><p>“Seriously, it’s fine.” He yanked the door open then turned back to me again, smirking. “I’ll see ya when I get home, honey.”</p><p>I grinned sleepily and waved. “Have a good time at work, sweetheart!” He winked at me, then disappeared inside as the door fell shut.</p><p>*****</p><p>Someone was trying to break down the door. At least, that was what it sounded like. I groaned and rolled over to plant my face in the pillow. Instead, I was met with something scratchy and- I scrunched my face up and blinked my eyes open. Carpet. The thumping outside was still going on, and someone was shouting now.</p><p>Where the fuck was I?</p><p>“Y/N, open the damn door!”</p><p>Shit, I thought sleepily, that’ll be the landlord. How late was I on rent this time? Too late to go back to sleep and deal with it later?</p><p>I sat bolt upright. <em>Shit</em>. No rent. Angry landlord. No apartment. My eyes focused and I realised that this <em>couldn’t</em> be my place.</p><p>“Y/N, for fuck’s sake!” The banging started again.</p><p>I rubbed my forehead and clambered to my feet. I was at Izzy’s – and now I was awake, that clearly sounded like Izzy’s voice shouting outside. I shuffled over to the door. He probably didn’t have a spare key, poor bloke. I hoped he hadn’t been waiting for too long.</p><p>I slipped the chain from the door and yanked it open, moving to the side so he could come in.</p><p>“Took you long enough. Thought you fuckin’ died or somethin’.” He slinked in past me and smiled, shrugging off his jacket. “Have a good nap?”</p><p>I hummed. “Haven’t slept like that in ages. Out like a fuckin’ light, soon as I got here.” He dumped the jacket on the counter and pulled a bottle of whiskey from the paper bag in his hand. “How was work, darling?”</p><p>He snorted and took a swig. “It was great. When’s dinner?”</p><p>“Think you might be drinkin’ it.”</p><p>He smirked and offered the bottle to me, striding over to sort through the jumble of clothes in the corner of the room. I had a few gulps as I followed him and sat down on the bed (well, a mattress on the floor), watching him fish something out of the pile. He started pulling off his work shirt as he talked.</p><p>“You’re comin’ out tonight, right?”</p><p>I nodded and leaned back on my elbows, rubbing my back a little. I hated sleeping on the floor. I hadn’t had to do that sober in a long time. I had another drink. “What’s happening?”</p><p>He slipped on a white button up, half unbuttoned of course, and reached out for the bottle. “Well, I was <em>meant</em> to be meetin’ the guys right about now. Couldn’t get into my apartment though.”</p><p>I smirked. “Shit, that’s unfortunate.”</p><p>“Yeah, some asshole locked me out.” He raised his eyebrows in a challenge as he wandered past me to pick up his jacket again, but stopped and did a bit of a double-take when he passed my own jacket balled up on the floor. “Did you sleep on my floor?”</p><p>I cocked my head to the side. “Uh… Is that a problem?”</p><p>He bent down to pick it up and handed it to me with an amused, slightly puzzled look on his face. “Well, there is a bed right there Y/N.”</p><p>“Right. Thought it might be a bit weird for you to come home and find me, you know… Asleep in your bed.” Obviously I’d woken up in his bed before, but that was only ever the morning after. Plus, he was there too. It felt a little different doing that sober, and without him even present in the apartment.</p><p>He just laughed, and went to get his coat on. “You can sleep in my bed Y/N.”</p><p>I smirked and dove a hand into my pocket for his keys. “Well thanks Iz,” I said, swinging them from my finger. “I’ll remember that for next time, shall I?”</p><p>*****</p><p>“Honestly, I’m fine about the whole thing.” I yelled, turning towards Duff’s ear so he could hear me over whatever crap the club was playing. “I deserved it.”</p><p>He pulled an exaggerated frown and grabbed my arm earnestly, making sure I was paying attention as he yelled back. “Yeah, well they didn’t deserve <em>you</em>.”</p><p>I laughed through another gulp of beer and slid back against the seat to avoid falling off it, his hand dropping away. “Too fuckin’ right! I’m an independent woman who don’t need no job.”</p><p>He started cackling and slumped back too, mostly onto me. We’d ended up squished shoulder to shoulder in middle of a packed little booth, everybody pushed closer together as more and more people joined our group for the night. I was sat pressed up between him and Slash, with the latter’s right arm wedged behind my lower back, and somebody else’s boot-clad feet resting like lead weights on my thighs – I suspected they were Axl’s, the cheeky fucker.</p><p>I hadn’t really meant to tell the others about getting fired. There seemed no point; jobs came and went with me (okay, mainly went) fast enough that by the time everybody knew I had one, I’d usually already have lost it. By this time next week, I’d be losing another one.</p><p>Duff had eked it out of me though, plying me with plenty of booze and no shortage of teasing. It was pretty much impossible to keep things from Duff. Persuasive bassists aside, however, one thing I was determined to keep to myself was the apartment thing. Actually, even thinking about it was probably dangerous, I realised. I really was quite drunk. At this point in any night, there was often a large risk of cats-getting-out-of-bags if I didn’t keep my wits about me. Probably best to stay away from Duff altogether, now I thought about it.</p><p>I downed the last dregs of my drink and heaved myself upright, shoving Axl’s feet off my lap. “Another round?” I shouted to Duff, waggling my empty glass in front of him.</p><p>He frowned again, this time genuinely. “I’ll get ‘em.” Then, seeing I was serious, “You just lost your fuckin’ job, you can’t buy my fuckin’ drinks right now!”</p><p>He started shifting to get up and I laughed, trying to shove him back down. He grinned up at me and slurred, “Come on, don’t be a bitch! You’re not buying my fuckin’ drink.”</p><p>“You’ve been gettin’ my drinks all night!”</p><p>He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Yes, and <em>I</em> have a fucking job Y/L/N!”</p><p>I laughed, “Good for you McKagan! You want beer or vodka?”</p><p>He collapsed back against the seat, casting his eyes heavenward. “I don’t know <em>how </em>I put up with you.” He glanced back up at me a little cheekily. “Beer, please.”</p><p>I giggled and nodded, then started climbing out of the booth, picking up drink orders as I went. I made it halfway to the bar when I heard someone calling me.</p><p>I pivoted round and beamed as I saw Izzy sidling up through the throng of Wednesday night drunks, raising his hand in a lazy wave. There was a bright red light shining from somewhere to the left, casting a warm glow over his face, chiselling out shadows across his cheekbones and nose. I had a tendency to forget how gorgeous he was when I was sober. But seeing him now… I watched him make his way over, shoulders swinging with one hand buried in his pockets, his other playing with a unlit cigarette.</p><p>“I’m just gettin’ more drinks.” I announced as he reached me and slotted the cig behind his ear. His forehead scrunched up as he listened – and had he always done that? It looked ridiculously sweet as he did it then.</p><p>“What?” He stepped closer and slung an arm round my waist, angling his head closer to mine.</p><p>“Drinks!” I shouted, feeling stupidly delighted at his hand splayed over my stomach. His chest was warm against my arm and when he nodded, I could feel the brush of his hair on my temple. He started leading me forward to the bar, weaving between the other patrons.</p><p>The nearer we got the louder it became, with everybody crammed in trying to place their orders, and Izzy had to slip behind me so I could worm my way through the crowd. Now he was pressed against my back, his arms locked in a tight circle around my waist. So we’re doing <em>this</em> tonight, I thought.</p><p>“You okay?”</p><p>I jumped a little bit as he spoke, his mouth on my ear, hot breath fanning over my cheek and I felt more than heard him chuckling.</p><p>“Forget I was here?”</p><p>I leaned back into him slightly, and smiled at the way he stooped down to give me his ear when I turned to reply. “Like that’s possible with these latched onto me.” I tapped his forearm, still flush against my front. “I’m not gonna run away, you know.”</p><p>He squeezed my sides and bent down again. “What are we ordering?”</p><p>I smirked and pitched forwards to get the bartenders attention, rattling off about ten different drinks as she wrote them down. I twisted round to raise my eyebrows at Izzy, who quickly bent forward to give his order, squishing me up against the bar. His hands slid back to twist me round until I was facing him, and he shifted his forearms to rest against the counter behind me.</p><p>I frowned and leaned up to speak to him.</p><p>“I didn’t pay?”</p><p>“I have a tab.”</p><p>I rolled my eyes. “Thought I was gettin’ this round.”</p><p>“Yeah, well <em>you </em>don’t have any money.” He smirked, and tacked on, “Or a job.”</p><p>My arms folded over my chest, pushing up against his too as he stood so close. “Why does everybody keep fuckin’ sayin’ that.”</p><p>“Is it not true?”</p><p>I scowled at him, although my head involuntarily bobbing along to the music playing might have dampened the effect. He didn’t appear to be very affected anyway. If anything, he looked like he was trying not to laugh, ducking his head down and pursing his lips.</p><p>“So, how come you had to crash at mine today? You lose your job <em>and</em> your apartment?”</p><p>Oh great, just what I didn’t want to talk about.</p><p>I laughed it off and tried to remember which lie I given him before. (My go-to tactic, nearly 100% successful when sober; unfortunately, less so when drunk.) “I was way too fucked up to make it all the way back to mine this afternoon. Probably woulda got myself lost or somethin’.” I smiled sincerely.</p><p>“You looked half fuckin’ dead.”</p><p>I grinned and thanked whichever sun was shining down on me in relief. “Fuckin’ felt it.”</p><p>His eyes darted up over my shoulder and he nodded at someone. “Drinks are ready, you wanna stay here for a minute?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>I slipped my hand under his jacket to loop around his back as he stepped closer, reaching around me to grab our drinks. I glanced up, having to crane my neck to meet his eyes, and we swapped smiles as he passed me mine.</p><p>“You gonna be able to make rent?” He said, close enough that he didn’t have to shout anymore.</p><p>I sighed. Why was he hanging onto this?</p><p>“It’s fine Iz, really. Don’t worry about shit like that.”</p><p>He rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. “Great, not worried at all. Thanks.”</p><p>“This is why I don’t tell you shit.” I muttered, knocking back my beer.</p><p>“What, in case I try and help you?” He snarked, leaning forward a touch and setting his glass down. “I always fuckin’ find out anyway.”</p><p>I laughed sourly. “Sure you do.”</p><p>His brow furrowed, crinkling up his forehead. “What?”</p><p>“I got kicked out like, two fuckin’ weeks ago Izzy. I haven’t made rent in months. Didn’t find that one out, did you?”</p><p>He blinked. I chewed my lip. Fuck. Was <em>not</em> supposed to let that slip.</p><p>What was I saying about cats and bags?</p><p>I looked away, but it was difficult when we were pressed so close together. The jostling crowd of people had grown and now there wasn’t room for Izzy to move away, whether he wanted to or not. My hand slipped away from his back and I wrapped my arms around myself, swigging my drink. This was not a conversation I had hoped to have tonight.</p><p>It wasn’t like I’d been struggling for places to stay, sleeping rough or something – I had enough friends across the city that were happy to put me up for a few nights. And anyway, most of the time I just crashed at whichever party I finished up at. It wasn’t exactly a dire situation. The way I saw it, there was no point in bothering the guys about something so minor.</p><p>I had a hunch that that excuse wouldn’t hold up with Izzy though. He released a long-suffering sigh.</p><p>“For fucks sake, Y/N.” I sucked my teeth and kept my gaze locked on some couple just past his shoulder. “Why’d you never let me help you out?”</p><p>I snorted. “Like you’ve got money to spare on <em>my </em>rent, Iz.”</p><p>“I got plenty of money, Y/N/N.” I eyed him sceptically. He huffed and shifted his weight to his other foot, his hip jutting snugly into mine. “So where you been stayin’ for two fuckin’ weeks then?”</p><p>“These past few days… You’re not gonna like it.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s fine. I’m just lovin’ the rest of this so far.”</p><p>I peeked up at him. “You know Nicky Hanson?”</p><p>He glared.</p><p>“Well…”</p><p>“That guy? <em>Really?</em>” He sighed in frustration and dropped his head forward onto my shoulder. “<em>That</em> fuckin’ asshole?”</p><p>My arms found their way back round his middle, sliding over the smooth fabric of his shirt, and I pouted. “His apartment’s got hot water. I really value that in a guy.”</p><p>I felt him laugh grudgingly, and found myself laughing too.</p><p>“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, it’s just-“ I paused to chuckle. “I mean he <em>has</em> got hot running water. I didn’t see the point in worryin’ you. I was only thinkin’ about <em>your</em> feelin’s Iz.”</p><p>He lifted his head, smiling sarcastically. “Well thanks for bein’ so thoughtful, Y/N/N.”</p><p>I beamed back at him. “No problem, man. Any time.”</p><p>“Just so we’re clear though, you’re stayin’ with me tonight.”</p><p>I laughed as his arms folded back around me, drawing me into his chest.</p><p>“Can’t take my eye off you for one fuckin’ second, can I?” I bit down a smile as he kissed my forehead.</p><p>“We should probably get those drinks back to the table.” I mumbled, not actually bothered if he heard me or not. I burrowed my face into his collarbone, placing an unhurried kiss at the base of his neck.</p><p>Yes, I was quite happy to stay right there for the moment.</p><p>*****</p><p>The mattress dipped somewhere to my right and covers brushed lightly over my back. I opened my eyes reluctantly, screwing my face up against the bright light that streamed in through a crack in the blinds. Izzy’s bare feet treaded carefully past me.</p><p>I rolled over, dragging the sheet with me, and watched him hastily shimmy a pair of leather pants up his hips, tiptoeing round as he fastened them. He must have felt my eyes on him because he immediately glanced up.</p><p>“What’s goin’ on?” I rasped, fumbling on the floor beside the bed for a cigarette.</p><p>“Goin’ to work. You go back to sleep.” He murmured. The room was quiet except for his light footsteps as he hurried to get dressed. I found a cigarette and lit it quickly, squinting at him.</p><p>“You’re late?”</p><p>He nodded quickly and pulled his work shirt over his head. “Didn’t wanna get outta bed.”</p><p>That made me smile. Bundled up cosily under the warm covers right now, I knew just what he meant. I smirked as I followed his hectic movement around the space, finally finding his keys and jacket. “You should probably get a move on.” I teased.</p><p>He darted back to the bed to grab a pack of cigarettes, then did one better and snatched mine right from my lips.</p><p>“Thanks.” He grinned and dashed away to the door, before I had time to roll my eyes. He jammed his feet into his boots and, turning the key in the lock, whipped the door open. At the last minute, he changed his mind and snapped round to point a finger at me.</p><p>“Be here when I get back.”</p><p>I smiled widely. “Will do.”</p><p>He paused for a second before adding, “And don’t fuckin’ fall asleep.”</p><p>I laughed as he bolted through the door, chucking the keys inside for me and slamming it behind him. The walls here were thin enough that I still could hear him as he sped down the corridor, the main door crashing as it fell shut.</p><p>I drew a deep breath and sighed contentedly. What to do today?</p><p>It was a good feeling – all those hours stretching out in front of me with no work to fill them. That being said, I probably <em>should</em> get on with finding a job straight away, as unappealing as that sounded. Even when I found one, I’d be waiting for at last a week for my first wage before I could put down a deposit on a new flat, and Izzy wouldn’t want me hanging around here for too long. Best to get cracking sooner rather than later.</p><p>A knock on the door startled me from my vague planning. I pushed myself to my feet and tugged one of Izzy’s longer shirts from the floor, scanning until I spotted a pair of knickers. I slipped those on too and, rubbing my eyes, traipsed over to the door.</p><p>Slash stood swaying slightly on the other side. He smiled when he saw me.</p><p>“Hey Y/N/N, how’s it goin’?” He sniffed sleepily and plodded straight in with his guitar in hand, raising an eyebrow at my bare legs. “Oh, I see. Go get it girl!” I snorted and rolled my eyes at him.</p><p>He plonked himself down on the bed with a little sigh. “So where is he?”</p><p>I dropped down next him and reached for a half-full bottle of wine by his feet. “Literally just left for work, mate.” I had a quick glug before offering it over to him.</p><p>“Ah, that sucks.” He muttered, sipping thoughtfully. “Wanted to practise.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not great on rhythm guitar, but I <em>do</em> play a mean set of spoons.”</p><p>He sniggered and scratched his forehead, having another little sip before giving back the bottle and standing. “You wanna go cop then?”</p><p>I grinned up at him and stretched lazily. “You read my fuckin’ mind. Let me find my jeans.”</p><p>*****</p><p>I breathed deeply and took another long drag of my cigarette, settling my hand back on my stomach. I’d taken off my jeans and retreated back to the bed as soon as we returned, and now found myself drifting blissfully in and out of sleep. Slash was snoring lightly beside me with his legs spread out, dangling over the edge of the mattress.</p><p>The afternoon had passed in a slow rush and now the view through the window was dark, fuzzy shadows enveloping the room. I’d been meaning to switch the light on for hours. The bed was just too comfortable to move.</p><p>There was a knock at the door, and a weird sense of deja-vu washed over me. Slash grunted idly by my side. They knocked again. Impatient, I thought. I rolled over onto the floor and stood, staggering slightly when my balance wobbled. I ambled over and unlocked the door, leaning against it as I eased it open. Izzy appeared, looking over me with amusement.</p><p>“Had a good time?”</p><p>I smiled warmly and let my head drop against the doorframe. He chuckled.</p><p>“Can I come in, please?”</p><p>I hummed and moved backwards, dragging the door with me so he could walk past. He glanced over my shoulder and smirked.</p><p>“Shoulda guessed, huh?” I looked behind me and realised Slash was still in the bed, sat up now and jerking awake every couple of seconds. “You save any for me?”</p><p>“Some left by the bed, I think.” My voice was croaky, having hardly been used for an hour or two. The door was still wide open so I pushed it til it clicked shut and twisted the key in the lock again.</p><p>“Uh, I think we had that already Y/N/N.” Slash piped up finally.</p><p>Izzy hummed and stepped behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I got news, by the way.”</p><p>I sighed and melted backwards into his chest. “What’s that then?”</p><p>“There’s a job goin’ at Andrea’s. Dish washing.”</p><p>“I could wash dishes.” I mumbled, eyes gently closing as his fingers grazed up and down my arm.</p><p>“You know, I was thinkin’ the same thing.” I could hear the smirk in his voice, the silly git.</p><p>“Andrea’s, where <em>you</em> work?”</p><p>“Yeah.” He said softly. “Figure that way I can at least <em>try</em> to keep you outta trouble.”</p><p>Slash laughed and I joined in, opening my eyes to make a face at him across the room.</p><p>“Fuck off.” I mumbled, smiling and starting to wake up. “I’ll go in tomorrow.”</p><p>“You wanna get ride with me?” I slipped away reluctantly to turn and face him.</p><p>“Yeah, please.” A new job, already. That was the first of my two problems sorted. Bless him, he’d probably been thinking along the same lines as me, about getting into a new place of my own quickly. I’d be out of his hair much sooner now that he’d lined up a job for me.</p><p>“I’ll try and keep this one.” I joked, smirking slightly.</p><p>Slash tittered again behind me. “Well, they haven’t fired Izzy yet. That’s gotta count for somethin’.”</p><p>Izzy rolled his eyes playfully and stalked past me. “I said I’d go meet Duff and Axl. You jerk-offs comin’ or are you just gonna stay here sleepin’ in my bed?”</p><p>“Hey!” Slash made a noise of indignation, “Somebody had to keep her company!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Gee, that’s a nice jacket you’re wearing.” Duff continued gleefully, a generous helping of sarcasm injected into his voice. I sighed. “Now where have I seen it before?”</p><p>I shot him an amused, slightly exasperated, look. “What’s up, McKagan?”</p><p>“Who, me? Just makin’ a couple of observations, that’s all.” He paused for a moment. “So many different things to observe, don’t you think?”</p><p>I snorted. “I don’t know, Duff, but I bet you’re gonna tell me.” </p><p>“You and Izzy disappear together last night, now you’re wearin’ his clothes this morning.” I checked, a little alarmed to find that I actually was wearing his shirt again today, while Duff threw his hands up in the air. “God, what could it all mean?”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>another chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“First off, you gotta be able to clean dishes.”</p><p>“Oh don’t worry about that.” I delivered my most charming smile. “I’m a dab hand when it comes to soap and water, Angus.”</p><p>Izzy huffed quietly in amusement as he set down a chopping board, and I had to work to keep the pleasant expression on my face.</p><p>“I don’t doubt it, Y/N/N.” Angus replied jovially, eyes twinkling under his undulating brow. “Only other condition is I have to like you enough to be around you five days a week.”</p><p>I bit my lip and sighed dramatically. “Shit, well if it’s not meant to be... Where’s my coat?”</p><p>He belted out a laugh and strode further into the kitchen, slapping my back (and politely ignoring the way I jumped about a foot in the air).</p><p>“Come on, we gotta get you set up before the orders start. It’ll get real busy soon. You wouldn’t think so, on a Thursday afternoon...” He continued as he led me to the sinks at the back, marching past Izzy who shot me a wink and laughed silently at the mock-bewildered face I pulled.</p><p>There isn’t much you can explain about washing up, further than pointing to a sink and then some dishes, but Angus gave it a shot anyway, doling out helpful tips like, “This one’s the cold tap, that one’s hot. Be careful, alright? The hot water is pretty damn hot.” Eventually, mercifully, his commentary ran dry and he bustled over to dice veg with Izzy at one of the counters. A few hours passed with me scrubbing my way through various pots and pans, occasionally enjoying Angus’ happy chatter about this and that whenever service calmed down. He had something to say about just about everything, that man.</p><p>Although you wouldn’t know it from the way he spoke, Angus Walker was only in his early thirties. Smoking one too many packs a day for about ten too many years had reduced his voice to a low scratchy rumble, and it matched perfectly with the strange little rambling tales he liked to share. His funniest kitchen war stories usually centred around his time starting out in Chicago. They were also evidently his favourites to tell - he’d get properly invested, slipping into thickly accented voices for each character. The way he reminisced, you’d think he was referring to things that took place fifty years ago.</p><p>Although not especially close, we’d been familiar since I first arrived in LA. Of course, since Izzy got the job doing food prep for him at Andrea’s, we bumped into quite regularly - it was usually Angus who answered the back door, and he was very generous with Izzy’s smoke breaks whenever I came calling. Weirdly enough though, Duff had also previously worked for him at a bakery, which was conveniently only ten minutes up the road from the call centre I was temping at at the time (another job which bit the dust pretty fast). I used to pop by everyday over my lunch hour to chat with all the staff in the break room. Duff made a habit of stuffing my pockets on my way out with all the goods that didn’t survive the ovens, constantly trying to feed me up, and even back then Angus would always turn a blind eye.</p><p>All round, he was just a really nice bloke. Didn’t half harp on though, I mused, tuning in to follow the end of a lengthy discussion about the guy I’d replaced.</p><p>“Damn sight better to have <em>you</em> on the team, anyway.” He concluded, pottering away to rummage around for something in the walk-in. I turned and caught a knowing smirk from Izzy.</p><p>“Comin’ out for a smoke?” He asked, jerking his head towards the door.</p><p>I nodded and swivelled round to check with Angus.</p><p>“Sure honey, take all the time you need! I’ll hold down the fort over here!” He hollered in reply and I stifled a small laugh. I had a feeling he was just grateful for a new, even marginally more responsive ear to chew off as he worked - Izzy could be an absolute brick wall when he set his mind to it.</p><p>We stepped outside into a light drizzle and the man in question burst into laughter, ducking with a delighted grin as I clouted him round the back of the head.</p><p>“You are a such a fuckin’ flirt!” He wheezed, only spurred on by my unsuccessful attempts to look unamused. His shoulders shook as he plucked a crumpled pack of Marlboro’s from his back pocket, still chuckling as he passed one to me.</p><p>“Angus doesn’t mind.” I mumbled, glancing away to hide my smirk. </p><p>He cackled again. “No, he fuckin’ doesn’t.”</p><p>Our elbows knocked together, a short fit of giggles escaped me before I could properly stamp it down. My voice trembled when I replied, “My skills really are wasted on this shit, huh?”</p><p>All it took was a glance and we both devolved into hysterics again.</p><p>You could probably forgive us for feeling a bit crazed that afternoon. Neither of us had got even a glimpse of sleep, having been kept up all night by Slash and a steady supply of pills from his various pockets; the man really did have <em>everything</em> stashed away in there. The day had broken and morning was well on it’s way to noon when Slash finally left to restock, Izzy and I tagging along just for something to do. I didn’t have much memory of our bleary walk around town to find a dealer, apart from a single clear image of the cold, grey sunlight dancing over Izzy’s face. A little weird, granted, but I figured that could be easily blamed on the pills.</p><p>It was a bit of a miracle that we actually to made it to Andrea’s on time. It was even more of a miracle that we weren’t just turned away in our bedraggled state. Getting a good look now we were outside, Izzy <em>still</em> looked objectively awful, with big red rings shadowing his eyes and a slightly twitchy quality to all his movements. An unruly part of my brain helpfully reminded me that despite this, he was still <em>extremely </em>attractive. Another, more unruly part suggested that, yes, I <em>definitely</em> still wanted to shag him like this, and hey presto, now I was imagining him pinning me against that metal door and fucking those hangover jitters out of me. Christ.</p><p>No sleep, an ever-intensifying comedown, and an incorrigible imagination – the real miracle would be surviving to the end of this shift.</p><p>*****</p><p>“Sheena is-“ The words garbled as I dunked my head back under the showerhead to rinse. “A punk rocker, no-o-o-o-ow!” My feet slipped a little, stumbling over an empty beer can which floated above the drain, and I splashed my face to wash off the soapy water, still singing cheerily. “She’s a punk, punk,” I climbed out of the tub to snatch up the towel from the floor, (“A punk rocker!”) giving myself a quick once over  (“Punk, punk-“) before hitching it up around me. (“A punk rocker-er!”) I shook my hair out enthusiastically and immediately winced as that stubborn hungover headache clattered around my skull again like an enraged bull, battering away at my temples. I could hardly wait to meet the guys and get a drink inside me, if only to get rid of the incessant pounding in my head.</p><p>I plugged on determinedly with the song, neatly bringing the chorus to an end as I left the bathroom (spoiler: she is still definitely a punk rocker). A wry grin was leering at me from the other side of the door.</p><p>“Is she now?”</p><p>I hid a smile and squeezed some more water out of my hair as I pushed past to search out some clothes.</p><p>“Yeah, weren’t you listenin’? I thought me and Joey made it pretty clear.”</p><p>A loud thunk sounded from the window. He brushed behind me to answer it, hand flitting over my bare shoulder briefly, and I swallowed as I sifted haphazardly through the accumulated rubbish on the floor for my skirt. I sighed, standing up to ask Izzy if <em>he</em> remembered where we’d lobbed it before, and the unkempt stranger outside jeered suddenly. How he had the energy, I had no idea. The sheen of sweat on his forehead hinted at a pretty nasty case of dopesickness – after all, that was why he’d come knocking.</p><p>“Shit, Stradlin, what else you got hidin’ in there?” My nose scrunched up in irritation, any sympathy vanishing instantly, but Izzy beat me to it.</p><p>“Fuck off.” He hissed and reached out to give him a harsh shove, and the man stumbled backwards, startled.</p><p>“Jeez, man, I was j-“ The window slammed shut in his face and he gawked through the dirty glass for a second before dashing off into the alley, probably remembering the fresh dose of smack in his hand. Izzy lingered, glowering at his retreating back. On second thoughts, maybe it was the glower that sent him running.</p><p>“Um, have you seen-“ I began as he turned and said, “I should’ve beat his fuckin’ ass for that. Sorry.”</p><p>I blinked, taken aback by the ferocity in his tone. “It’s fine, Iz.” He eyed me dubiously. “Really. I would’ve said the same thing, I mean-“ I flounced a hand across my body, adopting a terrible imitation of a Californian drawl, “Have you <em>seen </em>this bod?”</p><p>He snorted and produced my lost mini-skirt from somewhere in his unmade bed, offering it to me as he changed the subject abruptly.</p><p>“How was my shower?”</p><p>“Uh... Functional?” That was… An oddly pointed question. “I’m clean as a whistle now, so…” I yanked a pair of tights up over my arse and stepped into the skirt.</p><p>“Hot enough for you?”</p><p>So <em>that</em> was what he was getting at. I smirked drily and rolled my eyes as I clipped up my bra. “Put Nicky’s to shame.”</p><p>“Good to hear.” He handed me a dark blue shirt and watched me slip it on with a smirk to match mine. “You ready to head out?”</p><p>I glanced up, pausing my buttoning, to raise an eyebrow. “Feelin’ impatient, Izzy?”</p><p>His hands covered mine to fasten the last few buttons up to my chest, surely feeling the way my heartbeat revved up a little in anticipation. He dipped his head, just enough to lock eyes with me, that wicked smirk still firmly in place, and practically purred, “Always.”</p><p>*****</p><p>“Y/L/N!”</p><p>Duff waved me down as he left his apartment block, leaping out into the road and racing over to meet me outside Izzy’s building, barely avoiding a motorbike as it whizzed past.</p><p>“Hey, man.” His grin was infectious, bright even in the persistent spitting rain, and it managed to take some of the bite from my grumbling reply.</p><p>“You’re a bit chipper for this time in the afternoon, aren’t you?”</p><p>“<em>You </em>left very early last night.” No time to waste on small talk, apparently.</p><p>I started walking purposefully in the direction of the Strip, not sparing him a glance as he plodded along beside me. I didn’t have to see his face to know that there was still a teasing grin plastered all over it.</p><p>“You weren’t the only one.”</p><p>“I wasn’t?”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows, almost managing to keep a serious expression.</p><p>I bit down a giddy smile (Jesus, where was <em>that</em> coming from?) and dug my hands into the pockets of Izzy’s coat. “Piss off, Duff.”</p><p>“I didn’t even say anything!”</p><p>I narrowed my eyes at him pointedly, (yep, there was the grin) and stopped to help shield him from the wind as he lit a cigarette. He repeated it and passed one to me.</p><p>“Cheers.” We strode on, my hair whipping and snapping around me like a whirlwind. I huddled further into the leather, firmly ignoring the unmistakeably Izzy scent that was ingrained in the collar, and the heat it sparked inside me.</p><p>“Gee, that’s a nice jacket you’re wearing.” Duff continued gleefully, a generous helping of sarcasm injected into his voice. I sighed and shook my head in exasperation. “Now <em>where </em>have I seen it before?”</p><p>I shot him an amused look. “What’s up, McKagan?”</p><p>“Who, me? <em>Ohhh</em>, nothin’ at all, zilch. Just makin’ a couple of observations, that’s all.”</p><p>“Sure about that?”</p><p>“Totally.” He paused as I dodged a frenzied woman in a pantsuit. “So many different things to observe, don’t you think?”</p><p>I snorted. “I don’t know, Duff, but I bet you’re gonna tell me.”</p><p>“You and Izzy disappear together last night, now you’re wearin’ his clothes this morning,” I checked, a little alarmed to find that I actually was wearing his shirt again today, while Duff threw his hands up in the air. “God, what could it all <em>mean</em>?”</p><p>I spluttered, laughing, and ducked under the awning of the liquor store to take one last drag of smoke before heading in. Of course, he followed me.</p><p>“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” The change rattled in my hand as I scoured the shelf in front of me, hardly paying attention to Duff swanning around on the side of the aisle.</p><p>“I’m just sayin’,” He called, “If I didn’t know better I’d say you two were gettin’ pretty cosy.”</p><p>I rolled my eyes and grabbed another cheap bottle of rum, sidling past him to deposit everything at the checkout.</p><p>“Hey Al, how’s it goin’?” I sighed, counting out the last of my quarters on the tabletop.</p><p>“He givin’ you trouble, sweetheart?” He nodded gruffly over my head at the giant blonde softie behind me, currently inspecting the label of a bottle of red wine.</p><p>I laughed, trying to imagine what Duff might look like to an untrained eye. He could be pretty scary when he needed to, after all. “No, he’s fine.”</p><p>“What’s goin’ on?” Duff’s hands landed on my shoulders and I flinched a little despite myself.</p><p>“If you’re sure.” Al muttered under his breath, patiently divvying up my assortment of coins and dollar bills. “You got another fifty cents, honey?”</p><p>I winced. That was all the cash I had. Duff’s touch disappeared from my shoulders to delve into his jean pockets, rooting around hastily.</p><p>“Sorry man, that’s all I got. I’ll leave the-“</p><p>“No, no, don’t be silly. Owe me it, alright?”</p><p>“But hey, I have-“ I silenced Duff with a light stomp on his toe.</p><p>“Thanks mate, I really appreciate it.” I gathered up the bottles under my arm, promising to be back with the remainder soon.</p><p>“Hey, forget it Y/N. Tell you what, keep that fifty. Buy some fuckin’ breakfast next time, okay?”</p><p>I snickered and waved as we turned to leave. “Will do! See you later!”</p><p>The bell above the door jingled chirpily as we left and Duff paused to spark another couple of cigarettes for us before stepping back out into the street. I frowned as he continued back the way we’d just come. He hadn’t really just left his apartment to follow me to the shop, had he?</p><p>“Are you goin’ home?”</p><p>“Nah, I’m late for work.” He said, looking remarkably unfazed.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be walkin’ the other way, then?”</p><p>“I’ll walk you back first.” I opened my mouth to protest but he forged ahead before I could. “Didn’t get to the bottom of my observations yet.”</p><p>I sighed and waited for him to continue, but he stayed quiet instead, even when Izzy’s building came back into sight.</p><p>“What do you want me to say?” I said finally. “I thought everybody knew already, we fuck now and then. It’s not exactly big news.”</p><p>We stopped outside the door and I puffed away the last few tokes of my cigarette as I waited for him to reply. He was smiling fondly at me, and I found it infuriating for some reason.</p><p>“And you’re sure it’s just sex?”</p><p>“Uh, yeah.” I frowned. “Is that not what I said?” </p><p>He was still smiling and appearing quite entertained by my confusion, and I shook him off, wrinkling my nose, when he reached down to ruffle my hair. </p><p>“You know, you’re a real dumbass, Y/N/N.”</p><p>I scowled. “Yes, thanks, I did know that.”</p><p>He rocked back on his heels to fix me with a calculating stare.</p><p>“What does Izzy think?” He said carefully. Huh? </p><p>“What the fuck d’you mean, what does-”</p><p>“Shit!” Duff blurted, eyes widening comically. “I gotta get to work!” He turned on his heel and started sprinting back into town, shouldering through the midday stragglers and throwing out frantic apologies as he barged past people. In the space of about ten seconds, he was gone, flying out of view round the corner with a final shout of “Come see me when you get your head outta your ass!”</p><p>I stood there, dumbfounded. What the hell did he mean by that?</p><p>Curiously enough, he wasn’t the only one who’d suggested… Well, whatever it was he’d been trying to suggest. Axl had pulled me aside when we were out the night before last, bellowing in my ear that he was <em>happy for me and Iz</em>, of all things. If that wasn’t unsettling enough, him and Slash had taken to calling Izzy’s apartment ‘the love nest’ since I’d started hanging around there constantly, bedding down with Izzy every single night this week - as if I needed a reminder. I spent more time there than I did anywhere else at the moment, and it was getting a bit ridiculous. I’d been offered a roof to crash under for one night, and here I was, a week later, making myself a permanent fixture. He hadn’t mentioned it yet though, which seemed kind of unusual for someone normally so blunt.</p><p>I was still lost in thought as I twisted the cap off one of the bottles and gulped down a bolstering mouthful of whisky, trudging into the hallway to rap on Izzy’s door. The whole thing was very weird, I decided, screwing the cap back on. Very weird, indeed. And here I was, returning <em>again</em>. Bloody hell, what a disaster.</p><p>But then the door swung open, and I was greeted with a greedy kiss, emitting a pleased (if a little surprised) moan. Izzy was just as gloriously naked as I’d left him, with keen hands pulling me inside and pushing me up against the back of the door to kiss the breath out of me, already stripping me of his jacket and depositing it in a heap on the floor next to the booze.</p><p>“You were gone a long time.” He gasped, somehow still managing an air of nonchalance, even as he tore my (his) shirt up over my head. I wriggled out of it and launched myself back into his embrace, pressing up for another filthy kiss. His hands carded through my damp hair, and he broke away panting, confused. “It’s rainin’?”</p><p>I huffed, laughing a little, and dragged him with me towards the bed. “You wanna talk about the weather right now?”</p><p>His mouth stretched out to form a grin, and crashed back into mine - and all thoughts of Duff and his oddly foreboding questions swiftly evaporated.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hope this was even a little bit as good to read as it was to write. i genuinely had a blast lol<br/>got some angsty ideas in the works for later on, so enjoy this fluffier stuff (with duff) while you can!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! sorry this is a bit long, it really got away from me - good on you if you bothered to read all the way down to here. i'm hoping to continue this through another few chapters, maybe including an edited version of the other story I posted a couple of weeks ago. don't hold me to that though!</p><p>i've already got a couple of little ideas but i thought i should probably leave this as it is for now. otherwise i would just keep changing it and tacking stuff on forever! anyway, hope you enjoyed this, leave a comment if you have any nice ideas that i could mix in if i do end up extending it, or just to let me know what you thought. whatever floats your boat :)</p><p>!!! SIDENOTE: although I'll admit I can be a bit of a disaster-person myself, like Y/N, what I've written here is Definitely not a good example of how to deal with it. it's all well and good getting a hand here and there from friends, but at the end of the day, we do kind of have to get the last word on our own lives and take a bit of responsibility.<br/>(adding this note cause I reread the story before I posted it and realised Y/N literally does not make a single decision for herself throughout the whole thing - eek)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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